I purchased a few copies of this for my kids as it's one of the books we're studying for our Victorian Sci-Fi & Fantasy class. Reading it through this second time, I didn't find it as magical as I did the first time around. I think part of that was due to the fact that I was taking notes and building a curriculum around it this time, rather than just reading for pleasure. Still, it's a lovely story and one of our family's favorites!